Outstanding Alumnus Dr. John Tooker ‘6 At the Adams State fall 2000 commencement ceremony, Dr. John Tooker ’66 encouraged the graduates to seek ways to serve others and to look forward. Tooker has lived the words he spoke, seeking opportunities to improve healthcare for all throughout his career. Tooker is the 2014 Adams State University Outstanding Alumnus. “I was totally floored when I learned of the honor. Adams State has many great people.”
struck by serendipity Having grown up in Alamosa and attended Alamosa High School, Tooker said, “I think Adams State chose me.” While his parents were supportive and encouraged their four children to go to college, Adams State’s location and affordable tuition made it the most logical choice. Tooker started college soon after turning 17, having skipped a grade. Tooker said he was “pretty young,” and found it challenging to manage college level courses while working several parttime jobs his first couple of years at Adams State. “By the time I became a junior, I had gained a little more confidence and began to have a sense of a career path.”
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Dr. Tooker was universally recognized as one of the most effective healthcare leaders in America.” Tooker was in a junior-level English Lit class with Dr. Beryl McAdow, Emeritus Professor of English, when “serendipity” struck. “Although I majored in chemistry, my major professor and advisor, Dr. Kay Watkins ‘55, [Emeritus Professor of Chemistry] and I both knew I was not destined to become a chemist.” McAdow happened to comment on the importance of the humanities and made an “impassioned plea” for the need for service to others. “There it was, a marriage of science and the humanities: I want to be a doctor.”
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Watkins remembers Tooker as a very good chemistry student and an outstanding athlete. “He was very popular on campus.” Along with realizing a clear professional goal in his junior year, Tooker said his “body caught up,” and he was encouraged by Coach Duane Mehn to come out for the track and football teams as a walk-on. The resulting athletic scholarships and two work-study jobs eased the financial burden, giving him time to become involved in campus activities such as student government. Adams State’s athletic programs were also instrumental in helping Tooker develop competitive mental and physical skills and to focus on what mattered. He was fortunate to be selected an all-conference safety in football and was a conference champion hurdler and cocaptain of the track team.
aStater summer
2014
Overall, Tooker said the support of his professors and their steady presence and mentoring contributed greatly to the quality of his Adams State education. McAdow inspired him to pursue a career in medicine. Watkins, having also grown up in Alamosa, was a role model for the idea that a “kid from a small town can be successful on a bigger stage.” In high school, Dr. Joe Vigil ’53, ’59 motivated Tooker both in biology class and as his track and football coach. Vigil worked at a gas station in the early
morning before coming to the high school for a day of teaching and coaching. “He demonstrated how hard work and determination were fundamental to achieving one’s goals.” Dr. Fred Plachy, then the Adams State President, was another strong influence and supporter. Plachy made a special trip to Denver to advocate for Tooker’s admission to the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Off campus, Tooker struck up a friendship with his family physician, Dr. Littleton Bunch, who lived only a few doors down. Adams State was still primarily a teacher’s college, so very few graduates went on to medical school. Discussing his career path with Bunch helped Tooker gain a perspective about entering the medical field. “Dr. Bunch was a good friend to our family and to me. Through our conversations, I began to see my future.”